Container and closure therefor



Aug. 28, 1923.

R. R. EVANS CONTAINER AND CLOSURE THEREFOR Filed Jan. 6, 1925 INVENTOR ATTORN EY WITNESS:

RUSSELL R. EVANS,

greases rarsnr QEFEE,

0F TACOMA, WASEINGTQNZ CONTAINER AND CLOSURE TEEREFQI-t.

Application filed Ianuary 6, 1923. Serial No. 611,101,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Russ an, R. Evans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tacoma, in the county of Pierce and State of Washington, have invented new and useiul Improvements in Containers and Closures Therefor, of which the following is a specification. I

My present invention has reference to containers for foodstulls and the like and closures for such containers, and has particular reference to a construction by which the closure engages the container in a man ner to hermetically seal the same and yet permit the removal and replacing of said closure without damage thereto so that quantities of the contents of the container may be used as occasion requires without liability of spoiling of the remainder of the contents, and also wherein the device may be used continuously for substances other than the original contents of the container.

It is a further object to produce a can orsimilar container having its mouth formed with an outwardly directed bead and a cover therefor having its outer edge rolled to provide a lip, the inner wall of the lip being arranged at a slight acute angle with respect to the body of the closure, and the outer curved wall of the said lip bein rounded inwardly and being of a less lengt 1 than the inner wall, these walls exerting a pressure toward each other to aliord an impinging engagement with the lip and with the inner face of the mouth of the can, while'in the lip there is arranged a plastic substantially non-porous gasket designed for lateral expansion when the cover is forced over the beaded mouth of the container to assist in hermetically sealing the container,

A further object is to produce a container and a cover therefor, said container having. a rolled lip providing an outstanding bead, the closure therefor having its body portionflat and the edge thereof formed with an upwardly directed rolled lip having therein a plastic compressible gasket designed when thelip is arranged over the bead to be expanded laterallvand whereih the engagement between the inner and outer walls of the lip and the mouth and head of the closure is such that a pressure exertedupon,

the closure from the interior of the container will, cause the rolled lip thereof to move into tighter engagement with the head of the container so that liability of the removal of the closure from the container by such cause is efiectively obviated.

It s a still further object to produce a container which may be in the nature of a can that has its mouth rounded outwardly and downwardly to provide a bead, and a' closure having its body in the nature of a d sk-like spring metal member whose perlphery is rolled to provide a lip, the inner wall of which being arranged at a slight ing in sustaining the closure on the container and to prevent the removal of said closure until the said fingers are bent or sprung out of contacting engagement with the lip and inner wall of" the container, while between the lip and head there is a gasket designed for lateral compression when the closure engages the mouth of the container and exerts an impinging action between the inner wall of the container and the outer wall of the lip thereof.

' To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects which will present themselves as the nature of, the invention is better understood, reference is to be had to the drawing which accompanies and which forms part of this application,

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective-view of a con tainer and closure in accordance with this invention,

Figure 2 is an approximately central ver tical longitudinal sectional view there through.

Figure 3 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken through aportion of the closure and one side of the container.

Figure 4- is aview substantially similar to Figu'reB but showing the elosureengag .ing the headed mouth of a glass or porcelain container.

The container 1 is in the nature of an ordinary tin can which is round in plan, The can 1 has its mouth rounded outwardly, as at 2 and extended atan inward curvature,

, structed of metal and therefore the outer drawing, by the numeral 6.

wall 3 ofthe head has an inherent resiliency sothat the same will have a-slight tendency to spring in an outward direction.

The closure includes a flat disk-like body e-provided, from its under face with one or a plurality of continuous outwardly bulged portions 5. At its periphery thebody t of the closure is bent upwardly at a slight inward or acute angle with respect to the body 4. This angle wall is indicated, in the The wall 6 merges into an outwardly rounded portion 7 that has a downwardly and an inwardly curved extension 8. The walls 6, 7 and 8 provide the closure 7 with a lip.

Before being arran ed upon'the bead provided at the mouth 0 the container there is inserted in the lip of the closure a plastic sealing element composed of rubber and other suitablematerials to provide a continuous gasket 9. When the rolled 1i of the closure is forced over the head 0 the can or container 1 the walls 6 and 8 of the lip will exert an impinging action upon the inner wall of the mouth and the outer wall of the bead. This causes the outer rounded wall of the lip to force the gasket against the bead of the closure to laterally expand the gasket therebetween, causing the said gasket to materially assist in hermetically sealing the closure. The wall 6 of the lip of the closure is in frictional engagement with the inner wall at the mouth of the container wall 3 of the head. The contacting engagement between these elements of the closure and the container and'its lip are not at directly opposite points, as will be clearly seen by reference to Figure 3 of the draw-' ing. The impinging parts of the wall 6 against the inner'wall or mouth of the container 1 and the outer inwardly curved wall 8 of the lip against the inwardly curved wall 3 of the bead is such that should a pressure from the interior of the container be exerted upon the closure 4, (by gases from the foodstufi arranged in the containers or from other causes) such pressure will have a tendency to contract or bulge outward v the body 4 of the closure and cause the an 8 of the lip to travel further in a downward direction and over the wall 8 of the bend of the container, with the result that any incontact with the under face of the bea' aeaaee Ward pressure against'the closure serves only to create a tighter frictional engagement between the lip thereof and the mouth andthe bead of the container. By providing the continuous outstanding depressions 5 greater space for expanding gases from foodstuff is provided, and consequently the liability of such pressure-influencing the container as above described will be materially lessened.

The wall 8 of the bead of the closure is. at determined intervals, integrally formed with inwardly rounded extensions in the nature of fingers 9'. The fingers are disposed below and in the path of contacting engagement with the bead of the container and in addition to this are in contact with the side wall of the said container. These spring fingers being arranged inward of the lip of the closure and the bead of the container prevent accidental separation of these parts as the said fingers are not liable to contact when the cans or containers are handled,

which would be true should the fingers project directly downwardly from the lower edges of the bead. Also it is necessary that at least one of the fingers 9' be sprung outwardly from the container and a pressure exerted thereagainst before the closure can be removed from the container. The container may be not only used for original contents but may be from time to time used as receptacles for other foodstufis or the like, with the result that a single container and cover therefor may be employed in a household for an indefinite period of time.

In Figure 4 of the drawing I have illustrated a closure constructed exactly as heretofore described, but the rolled lip thereof is brought over the outwardly extending head 10 on a glass or porcelain container 11.

Theimpinging action betwen the inner and outer walls of the lip of the closure with respect to the mouth and head of the receptacle or container 11 is exactly similar to that previously described, although the impinging action between the inner and outer walls of the lip is not assisted b the spring outer wall afforded by the bea of a metal container. The fingers 12 on the outer wall of the Ii 13 of the closure 14, disclosed in the said liigure 4 are rounded, inwardl to 10, and with the outer wall of the container or receptacle 11 so that the said fingers 12 are held inwardly with respect tothe lip and bead to prevent the accidental contact thereof.

From experience I have found that I can manufacture my can and closure more cheaply. than any other self-closing can with which I am acquainted, and .I have found that the sealing engagement between the can and closure is such as to permit of foodstufis whose nature is such that the same could not heretofore be retained against Ill.)

spoilage by any self-sealing can. I have further found that my closure may be successfully employed upon ordinary glass or porcelain containers, as disclosed in Figure 4 of my drawing, so that such containers, usually destroyed after the original contents thereof are removed, may be employed indefinitely as containers for similar or other materials, and will hermetically seal the same as long as the closure is positioned thereon.

Having described the invention, I claim 1. A container whose inner wall is straight and which has an outwardly beaded mouth whose outer wall is arranged at an inward curvature, and a spring meta-l closure for the container, comprising a body having a lipped edge defining an inner slightly inwardly inclined wall, and an upwardly rounded top wall which merges into an inwardly rounded outer wall whose edge is disposed outward of the juncture of the inher wall of the bead with the body of the container, a gasket in the lip, said lip designed to be forced over the beaded mouth of the closure to compresS't-he gasket against thetop wall of the bead and to cause the inner wall of the lip at its juncture with the body to frictionally engage the inner wall of the container, and the outer rounded wall of the lip to have its inner end portion likewise frictionally engage with the outer wall of the bead, and the said engaging portions of the lip exerting an impinging action to ward each other. 7

2. A container having its mouth formed with an outwardly directed bead whose top is rounded and whose outer wall is disposed at an inward curvature to the body of the container, and a-spring metal closure for the container, comprising a disk-like body peripherally formed with an upstanding portion defining an inner inclined wall whoseouter end is rounded outwardly and from thence rounded inwardly, a semi-plastic continuous gasket in the lip, the inner wall of the lip being of a greater length than the outer wall thereof, and both walls of the lip designed to exert an impinging action against the inner wall of the container and the bead thereof when the cover is forced over the beaded mouth of the container to also compress and laterally expand the gasket, and the outer wall of the lip having spaced spring fingers disposed beneath the bead of the container and in contact with the outer wall of said container.

3. A container in the nature of a tin can whose inner wall is straight and whose mouth is rounded outwardly and curved inwardly at its side to provide a bead, the edge of the bead being spaced from contact with the body of the can, a closure of spring metal including a flat disk-like body having its periphery formed with a slightly inwardly inclined outwardly directed wall merging into a rounded portion that terminates in a downwardly arranged inwardly directed curved outer wall to provide a lip, the outer wall of the lip being of a. less length than. the inner wall thereof, said lip designed to receive a gasket therein and to compress the same over the outer rounded wall of the bead of the container when the lip of the closure is forced over said head, and when so positioned the inner inclined wall of the lip at and adjacent to its juncture with the body thereof exerts an impinging action upon the straight inner wall of' the closure, while the outer side wall of the lip exerts a similar pressure against the outer wall of the bead, and the said Well of the bead exerts a like pressure against the said outer wall of the lip.

4. A container in the nature of a tin can whose inner wall is straight and whose mouth is rounded outwardly and curved inwardly to provide a bead, the outer edge of which being disposed away from contact with the side of the can, and a closure for the can, comprising a disk-like body having a peripheral lip defining an inner slightly inwardly inclined wall, an outwardly rounded top which merges into an inwardly rounded outer wall and which terminates outward with respect to the juncture of the inner wall of the head with the body of the closure, and inwardly rounded fingers extending from the outer wall of the lip, said lip designed to receive a gasket. therein which is adapted to be compressed against the rounded wall of the bead when the lip is forced over the bead in the application of the closure, and when in such position the inner angle wall of the head at and adjacent to its juncture with the body of the closure exerts a frictional engagement against the inner straight wall of the container, the outer rounded wall of the lip contacting with and exerting an inward pressure against the lip, the outer wall of the bead exerting a like pressure against the outer wall of the lip, and the spring fingers being brought to contact with and having their contacting portions arranged in. a plane with the outer wall of the container and below the contacting engagement of the inner wall of the lip with the container.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RUSSELL R. EVANS. 

